Her message was about Chloe, and it deserved an answer about Chloe.

I told her our daughter had already corrected three of my ocean facts and was planning to bring her a book next time.

Camilla sent back a laughing face and the words, I’ll study.

I went to bed feeling two things at once: deep sorrow for the years stolen and cautious gratitude that we hadn’t wasted our first chance by asking Chloe to carry our grief.

I was beginning to understand that healing could include happiness without requiring us to pretend the loss had never happened.